The Jacksonville Jaguars running backs were killers in the fantasy football lineup in Week 6.

Travis Etienne Jr. entered the week without an injury, prompting the majority of his fantasy owners to start him in the Jaguars’ neutral-site game against the Chicago Bears. The result was a worst-case scenario: negative fantasy points on three carries and a game-ending hamstring injury.

Those who snagged backup Tank Bigsby on waivers for the Bears game didn’t fare much better.

Even with Etienne leaving after just 11 offensive snaps, the game script for Jacksonville went haywire as the Bears built a 35-10 lead in the second half. D’Ernest Johnson, the No. 3 pick in that game, finished outtouched and outperformed Bigsby, who entered Week 6 as the NFL’s leading rusher in yards per carry average.

The NFL is a week-to-week affair, but after so many were burned by this backfield in the Bears game, can Jacksonville’s running backs be trusted in a more favorable Week 7 matchup against the New England Patriots?

Let’s break it down:

Fantasy Football Start of Sit Week 7: Tank Bigsby

Bigsby was listed as a high-upside flex option in this space last week, and he came through with a whopping 1.4 fantasy points. Uhm.

Patient fantasy managers can expect Tank to make up for his poor performance Sunday morning (9:30 a.m. EST) against the Patriots’ leaky defense.

Once again, the negative game script forced Jacksonville to abandon the run game against Chicago. This week should be a much more favorable situation for Bigsby, both in terms of the matchup and the logistics of Jacksonville’s second straight game in London.

MORE: Travis Etienne Jr. injury updates: Does Jaguars RB have a chance to play against Patriots?

Jacksonville had the advantage of staying in Britain this week while the Patriots had to travel. The Jaguars beat Buffalo 25-20 in this exact situation in 2023, and it’s hard to expect New England, with a first-year head coach and a rookie quarterback, to handle it any better.

The Jaguars are a mess right now, but they are a better football team than the Patriots. They will be more accustomed to the time difference and field conditions, which should allow them to play with an advantage for once.

With Etienne expected to miss this week’s game to rest his injured hamstring, Bigsby appears ready for some early work against a broken Patriots front seven. We’re not worried about last week’s mistake. Bigsby projects as RB2 in Week 7.

Pronunciation: Start him.

Fantasy football starts or sits week 7: D’Ernest Johnson

Johnson saw a big uptick in usage last week, playing about three times his usual number of offensive snaps. He played a total of 35 snaps (compared to Bigsby’s 17) and was a popular waiver add after Etienne was ruled out of the Bears game.

Can we trust Johnson as a flex play in Week 7?

Of those 35 snaps against the Bears, 25 were pass plays, per PFF. The Jaguars either favored Johnson over Bigsby in those situations, or the game was so far out of reach that they decided to hold Bigsby while Etienne was already set for the game.

Whatever the reason, it’s hard to justify playing Johnson unless you see the Jaguars in a similar situation to last week’s lopsided second half against the Bears.

That won’t happen against the Pats, who may be the favorite for next year’s No. 1 overall draft pick. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye will make his second career start behind the NFL’s worst offensive line. He will also look to get the ball to one of the worst skill position groups in the league.

The Jaguars themselves have been rotten this season and are 5.5-point favorites against the Patriots. That kind of says it all. Jacksonville should be able to dictate this game, and that means Johnson’s role returns to change-of-pace and third-down duties.

Pronunciation: Sit him down.

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